Liquid storage container and liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021107290-A1
Application number	US-202017066801-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2019
Publication date	Apr 15, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquid storage container which includes a liquid storage chamber that includes a bottom surface, an upper surface facing the bottom surface, a first side surface orthogonal to the bottom surface and the upper surface, and a second side surface orthogonal to the bottom surface and the upper surface and facing the first side surface, and, in which the first side surface is provided with a visual recognition surface configured such that the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber is visually recognized, the bottom surface is provided with a prism for detecting the liquid, and the liquid storage chamber is provided with a wall surface closer to the upper surface than the prism and closer to the bottom surface than an end of the visual recognition surface, which is on a side of the upper surface, in a first direction from the upper surface toward the bottom surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid storage container which stores liquid to be supplied to a liquid ejecting head that ejects the liquid onto a medium, the liquid storage container comprising
a liquid storage chamber that includes a bottom surface, an upper surface facing the bottom surface, a first side surface orthogonal to the bottom surface and the upper surface, and a second side surface orthogonal to the bottom surface and the upper surface and facing the first side surface, and that is configured to store the liquid, wherein the first side surface is provided with a visual recognition surface configured such that the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber is visually recognized, the bottom surface is provided with an optical element for detecting the liquid, and the liquid storage chamber is provided with a wall surface closer to the upper surface than the optical element and closer to the bottom surface than an end of the visual recognition surface, which is on a side of the upper surface, in a first direction from the upper surface toward the bottom surface.

2 . The liquid storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the upper surface is provided with a liquid pouring port through which the liquid is poured into the liquid storage chamber, and the wall surface is overlapped with the liquid pouring port and the optical element in plan view in the first direction.

3 . The liquid storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the wall surface is inclined with respect to the bottom surface.

4 . The liquid storage container according to claim 2 , wherein
the wall surface extends in a direction from the first side surface to the second side surface and is inclined from the side of the upper surface toward a side of the bottom surface.

5 . The liquid storage container according to claim 4 , wherein
the bottom surface is provided with a filter portion that filters the liquid to be supplied from the liquid storage chamber to the liquid ejecting head, and the filter portion is positioned closer to the second side surface than the optical element in a second direction from the first side surface to the second side surface.

6 . The liquid storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the wall surface includes a light shielding material.

7 . The liquid storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
irregularity is formed on the wall surface.

8 . The liquid storage container according to claim 1 , wherein
the wall surface has a black color.

9 . A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
the liquid storage container according to claim 1 ; a carriage on which a liquid ejecting head ejecting liquid onto a medium and the liquid storage container are mounted and which is configured to reciprocate in a third direction that crosses the first direction and is along the second side surface; and a sensor that detects, at the bottom surface, the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber, wherein when the carriage reciprocates in the third direction, the sensor is overlapped with the optical element in plan view in the first direction.

10 . A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
the liquid storage container according to claim 1 ; a carriage on which a liquid ejecting head ejecting liquid onto a medium is mounted; a liquid supply tube that supplies the liquid from the liquid storage container to the liquid ejecting head; and a sensor that detects, at the bottom surface, the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber, wherein the sensor is overlapped with the optical element in plan view in the first direction.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sawadaishi Makoto
• Kimura Naomi
• Hirasawa Yusuke
• Kudo Shoma

Classifications

• B41J2/17503

  Ink cartridges · CPC title

• B41J2/01 Primary

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B41J2002/17573

  using optical means for ink level indication · CPC title

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J2/17566

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title